In the 1950s, his coach at the University of San Francisco believed that.

The adage always had been: No good defensive player leaves his feet. Barnett goes in and Russell blocks it.'īy 1963, in this NBA Finals game, Russell was a shot-blocking menace, which represented a sea change in the game. And now Russell has made three big plays in the last three minutes of the game. 'Basically what I was doing,' he said, 'was bringing the vertical game to a game that had been horizontal.' Russell revolutionized basketball with his high-flying defense and prolific shot-blocking. Russell soars to grab a rebound against the Detroit Pistons in 1961. In a 2013 interview for the Civil Rights History Project, Russell said his mother's message to her teary son changed his life. Instead, Katie Russell said: Fight them, one at a time. He and his mother went looking for the group, and when they found them, young Bill expected mom justice. Five boys ran by and one slapped him in the face. One day when Bill Russell was 9, he was outside his apartment in the projects in Oakland, Calif. To understand this man and superlative athlete, it helps to remember a parent's lesson. And he was a Black athlete who spoke out against racial injustice when it was not as common as it is today. As a five-time league MVP, he changed the game, making shot-blocking a key component on defense.

Russell won more NBA titles than any player in history. The announcement was posted on his verified Twitter account. When Auerbach retired he named Russell to take his place, making him the first Black head coach in the NBA.īill Russell, one of basketball's legendary players, has died at age 88. Bill Russell with longtime Boston Celtics head coach Red Auerbach.

Bill russell